How to make Grandma’s pierogi

loved my grandmother. But I loved her pierogies more. Those tender pillows filled with mashed potatoes and love made me dance around her kitchen.

Years ago, my mother watched her make them and recorded her recipe as best she could. Of course, Grandma didn’t measure her ingredients. She knew how much was enough.

We had a red Pyrex bowl that my Mom used to measure the flour, mix the dough, and then cover the dough while it rested. Coming home from school to see the red pierogi bowl upside down on the counter would bring on the happy dance.

Although Grandma has passed on, her heart and her soul and her love are still with us. All we have to do is reach for the red bowl.

Grandma’s recipe

Put flour in red bowl to about 1 inch from the top.

Scoop enough flour out so there is a nice deep hole in the center for eggs. Add one egg and one egg yolk, 1 tablespoon sour cream, and start adding cold water. Mix with your hand until the dough starts to stick together.

Dump onto floured counter and knead until it’s a nice soft dough. Cover by turning bowl upside down over the dough. Leave for at least an hour.

Peel and cook, with a little salt, about six large potatoes, or about eight medium ones, until tender. Mash with 8 oz. cream cheese and ½ stick or so of margarine or butter. Cover loosely with a towel and let cool for about one hour or so.

Cut a piece of dough, roll into a snake about one inch in diameter. Then cut into pieces about one inch long. Press each side of each piece with flour. Roll about four or five pieces into rounds.

Put potatoes in middle leaving enough room to pinch all around the edges to seal tightly. Lay it on a clean dish towel. Cover with another dish towel.

When done, boil a big pot of water. Put about half of the pierogies into the water. Stir a few times with a wooden spoon until they float to the top.

When the water begins to boil again, put on low and boil gently about 1 minute. Scoop pierogies with a slotted spoon and place on cake coolers with paper towels under them. Let stand a while to dry a little.

In the meantime, put flame up high again to get water boiling and add the rest of the pierogies.

Melt about ¼ lb. butter or margarine. As you put the pierogies in a bowl, spoon melted butter over the layers to keep them from sticking together.

Fry pierogies when ready to eat. Serve with sour cream.

You can also freeze your pierogies after they’re cool. They taste great for months.

Recently, I realized that I have the only copy of Grandma’s recipe, written in my mother’s perfect cursive handwriting. Rather than just making photo copies for my brothers, I decided to give them a special gift. After doing a little research, I found Spoonflower.com, a website that will print your submitted design on fabric, wallpaper, decals or gift wrap. I sent them the above graphic, with Grandma’s recipe, to be printed on cotton-linen tea towel fabric. A quick search on etsy.com for “vintage pyrex bowl” offered six ptions for the 1 ½ quart red bowl, just like my Mom’s. I expect to be eating a lot of pierogies in the new year.

ON THE WEB

¦ For a video about Royal Cracovia’s pierogi laboratory, visit cpsj.com/living